DOOM may be launching next month, but Xbox One players will soon be able to play a blast from the past as far as DOOM is concerned on their consoles- DOOM 3: BFG Edition is being added to the Xbox One backwards compatibility list, Microsoft’s Major Nelson announced on Twitter today.

It won’t be the only new addition to the list, either- while indisputably far less significant, Monaco: What’s Yours Is Mine is also going to be added to the backwards compatibility whitelist.

Like with all backwards compatible games, digital and physical copies are both playable on the Xbox One- digital copies will show up in your download list if they are associated with your account, while physical copies will require a small download before you can play them. The two games should also go on sale on the Xbox Store soon, since backwards compatible games are now sold on Xbox One’s marketplace too.

There’s a lot riding on Id Software’s shoulders after the announcement of the Doom game after so many delays. If anything, it has made us look back on the legacy of the series and reevaluate our expectations from Doom 4 anew. But what all does Id and Bethesda need to take care of to make the game even better than its predecessors? We have a look at some of the aspects that would really help keep the game carry forward its name.

15. More Weapons

Granted that the Doom games have had a plethora of weapons at the player’s disposal, but after so much time we’d definitely want to see something new at the front. The BFG was a stupendous addition to the arsenal, but it’d do good to have a whole new set of weapons than put weapons for the sake of remembrance.

Basking in the brilliance of such a glorious series, id Software has made it through a lot of years and quite commendably so, and after more than a decade of the first Doom game’s release, the next instalment in the Doom series is going to be released. Of course there were a number of other titles in the series and a few spin-offs, but the next title in the series has attracted special attention not just from us, but from people all around the globe.

" We never got to know what kind of development hell id had gone through but in 2011 we did get to know that the game was completely pulled back and restarted on a fresh note. It was later revealed that the pre-2011 Doom game was heavily scripted and cinematic in nature which made it look rather like a movie."

After defining and bringing a whole new genre of gaming and coming up with titles like Wolfenstein and Doom in quick succession, id Software had made its mark in the industry. Over the years we have seen great titles coming from the developers and a lot are from the two aforementioned series. The last Doom title in the series was Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil, disregarding the spin-offs in the series. After its release in 2005, id had taken a back seat and given themselves a little time to relax after working so hard for such stupendous a game.

Our anticipation for the announcement of the next title in the Doom series was finally put to rest on the 7th of May 2008. The announcement had received perfervid response and the fourth game had really drawn some serious attention after Doom 3’s success. Todd Hollenshead, CEO of id Software, had said that the game would take place on Earth like in Doom 2, and added that they will deviate from the critically acclaimed horror style gameplay of Doom 3.

While the internet community was trying to wrap its head around the meagre information provided by the developers of whether it will be a sequel, a prequel or a reboot and how the game was said to be ‘deep in development’ alongside talks of the fourth game having dedicated servers, the developers apparently had hit an insurmountable obstacle.

We never got to know what kind of development hell id had gone through but in 2011 we did get to know that the game was completely pulled back and restarted on a fresh note. It was later revealed that the pre-2011 Doom game was heavily scripted and cinematic in nature which made it look rather like a movie. Tim Willits of id Software had claimed in 2013 that the Doom game lacked the spirit and personality that its predecessors had held and thus the project had been re-started.

"There have been no solid revelations about what the new Doom game would entail, if it will continue the story where any of the previous Doom games left off, or whether it will be set in a world completely different from the previous games. "

Even so, it was argued that the game hasn’t shown much promise as of yet. Mostly because nigh on naught has been revealed about the upcoming Doom game. There have been no solid revelations about what the new Doom game would entail, if it will continue the story where any of the previous Doom games left off, or whether it will be set in a world completely different from the previous games. id had revealed that the game would not be called Doom 4, but Doom. It’s like having the Xbox One again. And a Doom II maybe.

This alludes to the fact that they are attempting to re-establish the Doom series in a completely new light. Although the ‘why’ of this step eludes me completely. But having no concrete evidence about what direction they’re heading to, saying so only finds a way into the contentious category of discussions.

The fact that id hasn’t provided its fans with anything solid about the development of the game even after so long is another reason why everyone is so apprehensive and doubtful about what id is doing with Doom.

id Software had to struggle a fair bit throughout the years of development of the new Doom game. According to id Software co-founder Tim Willits, the announcement of Doom 4 was made so as to attract new talent to the company.

That may sound a little lame strategy, to attract people to a game’s development by banking on an established franchise with no plan in mind, and we can completely understand that over 20 years, a company changes radically, but even after restarting the project, not much has been accomplished. Another Blow to the id team was when lead programmer John Carmack left id for the Oculus Rift VR.

"After leaving id in November 2013, Carmack had stated that there were some major issues with the development of Doom. He had said that although id has always strived for perfection, it was not right on their part to delay the production of a game for so long. "

He had tried to work on both the projects simultaneously to aid the development of the Doom game as well as introduce the Oculus VR in a better manner by associating it with Doom. But he was left with no support and ultimately had to pick one over the other. Losing the lead programmer of a game series can deal a major blow to the development of the company.

After leaving id in November 2013, Carmack had stated that there were some major issues with the development of Doom. He had said that although id has always strived for perfection, it was not right on their part to delay the production of a game for so long. Quite rightly so.

Having left to developing a single game for so long leads to stagnation as was revealed in 2011 when the Doom project had to be brought to the drawing board anew. Another thing that he had added was that the ‘essence’ of the Doom game was in question.

A multitude of people have an equally diverse set of thoughts and that seemed to have been a problem for id. If it were the case, it makes me wonder how in Lucifer’s name have we been able to get games like Doom 2 and 3. It’s definitely not that the people at id are incapable.

Maybe they have gone too far with their ambitions in making too perfect a Doom in lieu of making the Doom franchise as their flagship one. That may have been the reason as to why the game was scrapped in the first place in 2011, for being too ambitious which had resulted in a thoroughly scripted and poorly made ‘movie’ game.

"So, even after all the obscurity about the development of the game and the laziness of the developers and the team (if you may), there’s still a lot of hope. The fact that even after going through development hell and botching up their project, they didn't give it up and re-started shows their commitment to roll out a good game."

Carmack had also pointed out that the time of development of Doom was perfect for utilising the PS3 and the Xbox 360. He had stated that only recently had the developers understood to tap the full potential of the consoles of the previous generations. He was right in saying so and we had GTA V as proof, which was launched before the coming of the current generation of consoles when the developers and publishers could have easily waited for the launch of new consoles.

Disregarding all of that, what it boils down to, is that id Software has provided us with an amazing of games like Wolfenstein, Commander Keen, Quake and Rage. Doom was another fine piece of art off their palette. So, even after all the obscurity about the development of the game and the laziness of the developers and the team (if you may), there’s still a lot of hope.

The fact that even after going through development hell and botching up their project, they didn’t give it up and re-started shows their commitment to roll out a good game.

Agreed, it has been really long but that doesn’t necessarily lend credence to let us criticise them to no end. Look at Kid Icarus: Uprising and Street Fighter IV.

Both these games took around as much time to come out as it did for the Australopithecus to become Homo Sapien. But in the end, the result was amazing for both the scenarios. Regardless of it, id Software has a lot riding on its shoulders and an equally lot to prove.

"Doom’s beta keys are exclusively available to players who buy Wolfenstein: The New Order but no date has been set for Doom, or even its beta. We’re still a long way from knowing what the would manifest into. "

After showing us their potential with great games, after defining a new genre of gaming and ushering into a new era of gaming altogether, id Software has come a long way in gaming history and they still have a long walk to take if they wish to remain one of the most revered developers of all time. And by no means do they lack the capacity.

Doom’s beta keys are exclusively available to players who buy Wolfenstein: The New Order but no date has been set for Doom, or even its beta. We’re still a long way from knowing what the would manifest into. There’s nothing official out yet; you may have noted that with the kind of pictures used in this article. So all we can do for now is keep our fingers crossed, hopes high and bombard id’s discussions forums.

The Lost Mission is sort of an expansion pack to complement the release of Doom 3 BFG edition. It adds a bunch of unique new content to the game and also features some cut content, so that increases the value of the entire thing, right?

Not really. Some gamers have compared the original game to the supposed new one and have found out that a lot of things are rehashed and contain reused assets. Quick shoddy work by id Software it seems.

 This is what the user who uploaded the video said:

This is a partial demonstration of how several of the new Lost Mission maps exclusive to the recent BFG Edition of Doom 3 are, for the most part, largely reused levels from the original Doom 3 campaign. The number of matching details indicate simple copy+paste work, right down to the exact soda can placement.

This video is not exhaustive. There are many, many more identical level pieces to be seen. By my best estimate, I would guess that nearly half of the “all-new” Lost Mission maps taking place in the UAC facility are based directly on previously existing Doom 3 levels with minimal modifications. The Hell levels, on the other hand, seem to be mostly unique.

We reported earlier that the PC version is an extremely poor port, and it looks like id has done something that doesn’t exactly put them in a proper light as a professional studio.

Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Doom 3: BFG Edition came out a few days ago and surprisingly complaints are coming in that the game is poorly optimized for the PC. That’s actually very disappointing coming from id Software, however, considering Rage was sort of same on the PC–with poor texture loading and what not, I can’t help but feel id doesn’t care about its core fanbase anymore.

It’s kind of understandable with a new game but an old one? How hard is it, really?

Richard Leadbetter from Digital Foundry/Eurogamer mentioned that there are no “advanced graphics settings, no field-of-view adjustments, no out of the box support for mods – on first loading up Doom 3: BFG Edition, it’s difficult to avoid the impression that id Software has turned its back on the PC fanbase that supported it for so many years.”

Ouch.

But he did say that there are some improvements made to the overall package. At least we can expect that, right?

“Some might even describe the new release as a downgrade in many respects compared to the 2004 code – a port from current-gen console remixed from the PC original. But it would be churlish to ignore some of the improvements and refinements made to the overall package.”

So yeah, it’s disappointing, but the game still packs a punch when it comes to cheap scares, and, err, looks pretty good. Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Not only have the graphics been enhanced, but Doom 3 BFG Edition also supports 3D and 5.1 Surround Sound. Achievement/trophy hounds can add to their stock, while the rest of us can just be happy about not repeating entire sections thanks to the revamped checkpoint system. And as if that weren’t awesome enough, now you don’t just have to rely on the flashlight strapped to the measly pistol. A new armour-mounted flashlight lets you carry pretty much any weapon and still see where to aim.

Finally, if that weren’t enough, id Software has included classic Doom and Doom 2 for the complete franchise experience. Check out the launch trailer below.

If you’re a developer who is interested in pre-ordering the Oculus Rift, then you can do so now via the official website of the Oculus team. You can go here for that.

These are dev kits, and the consumer version is not yet available with no release date in sight for that. It’s also mentioned the first 1000 developers will get a free copy of DOOM 3: BFG edition with their pre-order, and the dev kit costs $300.

The Kickstarter campaign ended on August 31 and people who wanted to pre-order it couldn’t so here’s another chance for you to do so. The pre-orders will be available on September 26.

Rift is a virtual reality headset that allows users to step into the game. It produces a stereoscopic 3-D experience with a huge field of vision—110 degrees diagonally—and overcomes the latency problems that have plagued previous VR gaming headsets, where movement in the game lags movement of the head. Over 9,500 backers have lined up to support the Oculus Rift and together have donated nearly $2.5m to help fund R&D on the developer kits.

Tell us what you think in the comments section below.

About Doom 3 BFG Edition:

Game Overview:

Doom 3 BFG Edition has been re-mastered for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, DOOM 3 and its expansion pack offer enhanced visuals further immersing you in the demonic world like never before. DOOM 3, Resurrection of Evil, and ‘The Lost Mission’ have been optimized in 3D, featuring 5.1 surround sound, Xbox 360 Achievements, PlayStation 3 trophies, improved rendering and lighting, and a new check point save system allowing for smoother progression through the game. id Software has fine-tuned the controls to bring the intensity of the DOOM single and multiplayer experience to the consoles, and DOOM 3 now features the new armor-mounted flashlight, allowing players to illuminate dark corners and blast enemies at the same time.

Publisher: Bethesda

Developer:  Id Software

Platforms: PC, PS3 and X360

Release Date:19/10/2012

Stay tuned to Gamingbolt.com for more news and updates.

Eurogamer operations director and editor of Eurogamer.net Tom Bramwell stated, “We love games that let players make their own fun using flexible systems, and Dishonored looks like the best example of this in a long time, so it was an easy decision to make it our Gamescom Game of the Show. We’re also delighted to have it playable at the Eurogamer Expo, and it will be a great chance for gamers to experience the remastered DOOM 3, too!”

That’s not all: This yea’rs expo promises more playable games than ever, high profile developer sessions, and a number of satellite events including the Games Industry Fair. The event will be held at London’s Earls Court.